Beautiful weather for this class! We went on a spring scavenger hunt. Here is our list:
dandelion
painted turtle
fish feeding in the pond
salamander
sow bug
earthworm
centipede or millipede
wildflower (that is not a dandelion)
robin on the ground
robin flying
robin in a tree
grackle
fern fiddleheads
princess pine
chipmunk hole
hear a chickadee calling
Bonus: If one of the following is found, it may substitute for an item on the list above: butterfly, snapping turtle, snake, frog, woodpecker, moss with sporangia
We started searching in the playing fields on our way to the trail, then went to the pond and followed the trail loop. At the pond, we threw some bread crumbs in the water and got the fish to feed near us. We spotted one painted turtle on a log. Along the trail, we turned some logs over to find the sow bug, earthworm, centipede and salamander. We found everything on our main list, PLUS these bonus items: butterfly, moss with sporangia! Other things that we found that were not on the list were slugs and a snail. While we searched, we also collected data for the phenology (seasonal changes) database (see Apr. 1 post).
Back at the Science Center, our scavenger hunt prize was homemade chocolate chip cookies!
While eating, we learned that the Massachusetts State Legislature will be voting on whether to ban single-use plastic bags from larger retail stores. Since we've been interested in reducing plastic bag use (see our recent post on litter, and an early post on re-usable bags), we decided to send emails to our state senator and representative, asking them to vote "yes" to ban the bags! Also, we learned that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be considering whether or not to prohibit the U.S. Navy from continuing to sink old warships containing hazardous chemicals during target practice at sea. This torpedo and gunnery practice is called SINKEX. We decided to send an email to the EPA to ask that SINKEX be prohibited. If you would like to email the EPA, here's the address: ow-docket@epa.gov
